The aim of our project is to develop, test and validate an autonomous unmanned inspection system that accurately detects internal structural defects in wind turbine blades (e.g. delamination, cracks, out of plane waves and debonding) using a non-destructive testing (NDT) technique called aerial radiography. The use of two drones, one carrying an X-ray source and the other a X-ray receiver coupled with highly accurate autopiloting and stabilization systems will make aerial radiography possible. With the use of this new technique, larger damages (and costs) will be prevented and accurate predictive maintenance is possible. In addition, the proposed system works autonomously reducing manual labor and inspection costs significantly.

This project is part of a larger project together with the companies SpectX and Avular. My focus lies in the stabilization mechanism of the X-ray source and detector that both will be carried by a drone.

Sander Doodeman heeft zowel een bachelor diploma (2020) als een master diploma (2024) van Werktuigbouwkunde op de Technische Univeristeit van Eindhoven. Sinds 2024 werkt hij daar als een PhD kandidaat bij de Control Systems and Technology groep binnen de Werktuigbouwkunde afdeling, waar hij zich focust op het stabiliseren van drones voor aerial radiography inspecties.